Oklahoma's upcoming SEC gauntlet will make or break NCAA Tournament hopes

The Oklahoma men's basketball team might even have it tougher than the football team in their first seasons in the SEC.

The Sooners' matchup with No. 13 Texas A&M on Tuesday night will start a stretch of five straight games against ranked opponents for OU, based on the most recent Associated Press Top 25. Three of those will be against top-15 teams and three will also be on the road away from Lloyd Noble Center.

Meanwhile, at 15-4, OU received two votes to be ranked this week. At one point this season, the Sooners were firmly inside the top 15 of both major polls, but a four-game losing streak to start SEC play plummeted them out.

That losing streak also put the Sooners on the bubble for making the NCAA Tournament in March. These next five games in just a short two weeks could ultimately decide how OU's season ends.

Even though it's a loaded schedule, another losing streak would likely pop the Sooners' bubble. Going 1-4 the next two weeks is also probably not an option for OU, either, as it would put the Sooners at 3-8 in SEC play. That kind of conference record won't get you dancing, no matter how difficult your league is.

These next five games could also get the Sooners packing their bags early for a postseason trip. Five difficult games means five opportunities to drastically improve stock every outing.

The next two weeks will include four Quadrant 1 games. The only one that's not is Vanderbilt, and with the Commodores just now heating up, that could improve to a Quadrant 1 game by March if Vandy keeps winning. A loss to Vanderbilt would also hurt the Sooners most right now, especially at home.

But securing that needed victory against Vanderbilt on Saturday and one of those Quadrant 1 wins should be enough to keep the Sooners' NCAA Tournament dreams alive. Add another win, and Sooner Nation can be more concerned about seeding rather than just getting in, barring a late losing streak.